11 Surreal Photos From Slovenia's Worst Ice Storm In Living Memory

A freak winter storm descended on Slovenia in early February, encasing many parts of the country under several inches of ice. According to locals, it was described as the worst one of its kind in living memory.

“I know my country well, but no one remembers – even the old people – a weather case like this,” photographer Iztok Medja told The Huffington Post Canada.

The storm battered the small mountainous country for several days, layering trees, road signs, and cars under thick layers of ice. Medja took his camera out to document the effects of the ice storm in a series of stunning photos.

Slovenia, a country roughly the size of Massachusetts, is home to just over two million people. But what the country lacks in population, it makes up in breathtaking natural beauty in the summertime, shaped by a unique climate influenced by the Mediterranean as well as the Alps.

Damage to the country’s infrastructure has been estimated by government ministers to be $66 million Euros (USD $89 million), according to Reuters. The cost is expected to rise as damage to at least half the country’s forests is continually assessed.

A Naga Sadhu, or Hindu holy naked man, takes holy dips at Sangam, the confluence of the Hindu holy rivers of Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, for a ritual dip, on the auspicious occasion of “Basant Panchami” at the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014. Basant Panchami, the fifth day of spring is celebrated by worshipping Hindu Goddess of knowledge and wisdom, Saraswati. Hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus bathe at the confluence during the astronomically auspicious period of over 45 days celebrated as “Magh Mela.” (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

An Iranian man throws a snowball at his wife in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014. Tehran and many parts of Iran were blanketed with snow on Tuesday as heavy snowfall trapped thousands on the road and cut off water and power supply in northern Iran. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Members of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) listen to interim president Catherine Samba Panza's speech on February 5, 2014, in Bangui during a military ceremony. The ceremony ended in violence after soldiers lynched a man to death who they suspected of being a former rebel, according to AFP journalists. Minutes after the departure of officials from the ceremony in the capital Bangui, the soldiers attacked a young man in civilian clothes, hitting, stabbing and throwing stones at him. His body was then dragged though the streets as African Union troops looked on. (Issouf Sanogo / AFP / Getty Images)

Punxsutawney Phil relaxes in his cage after he saw his shadow predicting six more weeks of winter during 128th annual Groundhog Day festivities on February 2, 2014 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day is a popular tradition in the United States and Canada. A smaller than usual crowd this year of less than 25,000 people spent a night of revelry awaiting the sunrise and the groundhog's exit from his winter den. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his den. Early spring arrives if he does not see his shadow, causing Phil to remain above ground. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Rescuers arrive to recover the body of a victim covered in volcanic ash at a village in Karo district following eruptions of Mount Sinabung located in Indonesia's Sumatra island on February 1, 2014. Fourteen people, including four schoolchildren, were killed February 1 after they were engulfed by scorching ash clouds spat out by Indonesia's Mount Sinabung in its biggest eruption in recent days, officials said. (Sutanta Aditya / AFP / Getty Images)

Ellie a horticulturist at Kew stands on a step ladder as she makes final adjustments during a media pre-view of an Orchid festival at Kew Botanical Gardens in London,Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014. The exhibition of orchids is open to the public from Feb. 8 to March 9, 2014, and it includes a new new Phalaenopsis hybrid 'Diamond Sky' that has not ben seen before. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

A family is photographed near to a barricade as opposition supporters warm themselves around the fire near Kiev's Independence Square, the epicenter of the country's current unrest, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. Ukraine's embattled president Viktor Yanukovych is taking sick leave as the country's political crisis continues without signs of resolution. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Huge snow sculptures are lit up during the 65th annual Sapporo Snow Festival on February 5, 2014. The week-long festival started with a total of 198 snow statues on display. (Toshifumi Kitamura / AFP / Getty Images)

Gunners from 105th Regiment Royal Artillery fire a 21-Gun Royal Salute at Edinburgh Castle on on February 6, 2014 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.The 21-Gun Royal Salute was fired to commemorate the Accession to the throne of Her Majesty The Queen. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Brighton's West Pier in southern England is divided into two parts after rough seas caused a section on the east side to collapse February 5, 2014. More than 8,000 homes were without power in southwest England on Wednesday after fresh storms battered the region, sending huge waves crashing onto the coastline and damaging sea defences. (Glyn Kirk / AFP / Getty Images)

A two-month-old Black Panther cub looks on during a presentation in a zoo in St. Petersburg, on February 5, 2014. (Olga Maltseva / AFP / Getty Images)

Pedestrians trudge through dirty snow and slush as they pass through Union Square Monday, Feb. 3, 2014, in New York. Another winter storm bears down on the eastern U.S., only a day after temperatures soared into the 50s. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)

Members of the Seattle Seahawks huddle before the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Six months old boar cubs run during the Boar Race Festival on January 25, 2014 in Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan. The annual event actually takes place to promote boar meat, the city's specialty.
(The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images)

An Orthodox Christian priest prays in front of riot police near protesters' barricades during a frosty morning in central Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday Jan. 25, 2014. Ukraine's Interior Ministry has accused protesters in Kiev of capturing two of its officers as violent clashes have resumed in the capital and anti-government riots spread across Ukraine. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Decorated camels of India’s Border Security Force stand in formation during a rehearsal of the Beating Retreat ceremony at Raisina hill which houses India's most important ministries and the presidential palace, in New Delhi, India, Monday, Jan. 27, 2014.The ceremony performed every year on the evening of January 29 by the three wings of the Indian military marks the end of Republic Day festivities. (Manish Swarup/AP)

Haseeb, 13, an Afghan boy waits for customers to sell water in Kart-e Sakhi cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014. Children sell water in cemeteries for visitors to pour it on their relatives' graveyards. (Massoud Hossaini/AP)

Light-trails illuminate from head torches worn by competitors taking part in the 'Marmot Dark Mountains' night-time adventure race illuminate the landscape on January 26, 2014 in Glossop, England. The mountain marathon race began at 7pm on the evening of the 25th and required participants to navigate and run between a series of checkpoints throughout the Peak District National Park. The event is split into several classes based on competitor performance with each course traversing the high moorland areas surrounding Kinder Scout. The 'Elite' category runners raced from dusk-to-dawn, covering 55.5km and gaining 2,635m of height. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

The Performing Troupe of the Tagou Martial Arts School, Henan rehearse during the 'Nuit De La Chine' rehearsal at the Grand Palais on January 26, 2014 in Paris, France. (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

Bangladeshi Muslims arrive on an overcrowded train to attend the Biswa Ijtema or World Muslim Congregation at Tongi, about 30 kms north of Dhaka on January 26, 2014. Muslims joined in prayer on the banks of a river in Bangladesh as the world's second largest annual Islamic congregation ended. (Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images)

Nepalese Hindu women fill vessels with water from the Bagmati River, holy to them, to offer prayers during Madhav Narayan festival in Katmandu, Nepal, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014. During this month long festival, devotees recite Holy Scriptures dedicated to Hindu goddess Swasthani and Hindu god Lord Shiva. Unmarried women pray to get a good husband while those married pray for the longevity of their husbands by observing a month long fast during the festival. (Niranjan Shrestha/AP)

A competitor crawls through a tunnel during the Tough Guy Challenge on January 26, 2014 in Telford, England. (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Fans arrive before the start of an NHL outdoor hockey game at Dodger Stadium between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks in Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014. (Mark J. Terrill/AP)

A resident cries as a SWAT member of the Philippine National Police searches for residents who allegedly threw rocks at them as they enforce the demolition of their shanties at the sprawling community of informal settlers Monday, Jan. 27, 2014 at suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. The demolition was carried out by the city government to pave the way for the commercial development of the area. (Bullit Marquez/AP)

The Emirates Air Line cable car which runs between North Greenwich and Royal Victoria Docks on January 27, 2014 in London, England. The cable car, which was built in time for the Olympic Games, is taking 35% lower visitors than predicted. (Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images)

A woman sells fish at a market on January 27, 2014 in Qionghai, China. Chinese people are preparing for the Spring Festival, the year of horse, which will fall on January 31 according to Chinese calendar. (ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images)

A young man on skates holds onto to a moving bicycle in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. Leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean are arriving in Havana this weekend to participate in the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC summit. Lower-level officials began meeting over the weekend and foreign ministers are taking the stage Monday. The formal meetings of heads of state begin Tuesday. (Desmond Boyland/AP)

A dog named Caique wears a hat and shirt on Arpoador beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014. Caique's owners said they like to dress Caique up for dog parades and that they enjoy pedestrians taking his picture during his daily walks. (Felipe Dana/AP)

Women walk through an old neighbourhood of central Tehran on January 20, 2014, as Iran announced that it would halt production of 20 percent enriched uranium following the arrival of inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog on the weekend to oversee implementation of a landmark nuclear deal clinched with world powers to put temporary curbs on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme. (Behrouz Mehri/AFP/Getty Images)

A worker works at a new office building under construction in Petion Ville, Haiti, on January 20, 2014. (Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images)

Protesters clash with police on January 19, 2014 during an opposition rally in the centre of the Ukrainian capital Kiev in a show of defiance against strict new curbs on protests. 200,000 protesters expressed frustration over the lack of a clear programme from the opposition leaders after almost two months of protests over the government's ditching of a pact with the EU under Russian pressure. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images)

A pedestrian walks along the banks of the Neris river as temperatures dipped to -18 degrees Celsius (-0,40 degrees Fahrenheit) in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, Jan. 20, 2014. (Mindaugas Kulbis/AP)

Kashmiri villagers try to comfort the wailing sister, third left, during the funeral procession of Javid Salfi, a top militant commander of Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, in Bulbul Nowgam, some 55 kilometers (33 miles) south of Srinagar, India, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2014. Thousands attended the funeral of the suspected rebel commander in Indian Kashmir Tuesday, a day after he was killed in a gun battle with government forces. In this divided Kashmir region, claimed by both India and Pakistan, some 68,000 people have been killed since 1989 in an armed uprising and subsequent crackdown by Indian forces. (Dar Yasin/AP)

Members of the NGO team IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) stand near an elephant in a truck as part of an operation to relocate dozens of elephants in conflict with farmers on January 20, 2014 in the village of Tapegue, commun of Daloa. The elephants, threatened in the national park Marahoue (center), where the land has been cleared by farmers for agricultural purposes have already killed three people and destroyed crops, said Ivorian ministers of Sustainable Development and Forestry, Rémi Allah Kouadio-and Mathieu Babaud Darret. (Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images)

A boy reacts in the ice cold water after plunging into it during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations at a lake in the village of Zadomlya, Belarus, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014. Thousands of Belarusian Orthodox Church followers plunged into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. (Sergei Grits/AP)

Supporters of Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez watch through door windows, as she talks during a ceremony at the government house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Fernandez spoke in public for the first time Wednesday since Dec. 10. Her 42-day silence had been feeding speculation in Argentina about her health in the wake of the head surgery she underwent in October. Some opponents have questioned who is running the country. (Natacha Pisarenko/AP)

A vendor walks towards the Fasilides baths during the Timkat festival in Gondar on January 20, 2014. Timkat is the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian festival which celebrates the baptism of jesus in the Jordan river. During Timkat, Tabots, or models of the Ark of the Covenant are taken from churches and paraded through the streets. (Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

An Egyptian man on a donkey rides past an honor guard lining the road leading to the funeral of several policemen killed after masked gunmen opened fire at a police checkpoint in the el-Wassta district in the province of Bani Suief, south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014. Masked gunmen riding on motorcycles opened fire at a police checkpoint in central Egypt early on Thursday, killing several policemen and wounding two, the Interior Ministry said. (Aly Hazzaa, El Shorouk Newspaper/AP)

Palestinian children play on the beach on January 24, 2014 in Gaza city. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)

Workers hang a banner of Honduran President-elect Juan Orlando Hernandez, at the "Tiburcio Carias Andino" stadium where the inauguration ceremony will be held next week, in Tegucigalpa on January 24, 2014. Hernandez, of the ruling right-wing National Party, will take office for a four-year mandate on January 27. (Orlando Sierra/AFP/Getty Images)

Villagers evacuate their cows in an area covered by ash after their village hit by ash and mud from eruption of Mount Sinabung following further eruptions of Mount Sinabung on January 11, 2014 in Sigarang Garang, Karo District, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The number of displaced people has increased to around 25,000 in Western Indonesia as Mount Sinabung continues to spew ash and smoke after a series of several eruptions since September. Eleven deaths have now been recorded as a result of the eruptions with hundreds more falling ill. Officials expect the number of evacuees to rise as volcanic activity remains high. (Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images)

Mini driver Stephane Peterhansel and co-pilot Jean Paul Cottret, both of France, race through the dunes during the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally between the cities of Calama and Iquique, Chile, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. (Victor R. Caivano / AP)

Nine year old Afghan boy, Zubair Ahmad plays with a plastic gun on a roof top in the old quarters of Kabul on January 16, 2014. Economic development is considered a vital weapon to stop the country from sinking back into civil war and to stem Islamist extremism after 100,000 international combat troops pull out. (Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty Images)

An ostrich runs through empty streets and past destroyed buildings, after government forces on Friday retook from rebel forces the provincial capital of Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014. On Sunday senior South Sudanese government officers inspected the recaptured town of Bentiu, in northern Unity State, that was the scene of intense fighting between government and rebel forces, while a South Sudanese government official claimed rebels had badly damaged petroleum facilities in the state. (Mackenzie Kowles-Coursin)

Indian villagers participate in community fishing as part of the Bhogali Bihu celebrations at the Goroimari Lake in Panbari village, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of Gauhati, India, Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. “Bhogali Bihu” marks the end of the harvesting season in the north eastern state of Assam. (Anupam Nath / AP)

Pakistani youth Chaudary Rizwan, who skipped school three years ago to work and help his family, sits on his mandarin cart waiting for customers on a roadside in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. (Muhammed Muheisen / AP)

People feed wild nutria (Myocastor coypus or Coypu) in the middle of a village on January 8, 2014 in Kamenny Privoz, Czech Republic. A colony of nutria comprising at least of 20 individuals invaded a small village and became the major attractions for the local people. (Frantisek Vicek / Isifa / Getty Images)

Nepalese Muslim boys peek out from a vehicle as they participate in a rally to mark Milad-un-Nabi, the festival that commemorates the birthday of Prophet Muhammad in Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. Muslims are a minority in this predominantly Hindu Himalayan nation. (Niranjan Shreshtha / AP)

A firefighter protests aginst government's cuts outside Catalonia's parliament during a vote for a petition to the national parliament, in Barcelona on January 16, 2014. Catalonia's lawmakers voted today to demand the right to hold a referendum on declaring independence from Spain, flying in the face of outright opposition in Madrid. With 87 votes in favour, 43 against, and three abstentions, Catalan lawmakers agreed to submit a proposed law to the national parliament in Madrid. (Josp Lago / AFP / Getty Images)

Hamas security forces show their skills during a military parade in Gaza city on January 13, 2014, marking the fifth anniversary of the three-week Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip in which more than a thousand Palestinians were killed between the late 2008 and early 2009. (Mahmud Hams / AFP / Getty Images)

Children perform Surya Namaskar organised a day after, birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 13, 2014 in Bhopal, India. The programme was simultaneously organised in all government schools of the Madhya Pradesh. (Gagan Nayar / Hindustan Times / Getty Images)

A cyclist rides through Brooklyn's Prospect Park on a morning with dense fog on January 15, 2014 in New York City. Travel delays were reported for commuters due to the fog as were delays at airports from Washington to New York City. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

The sun creates a halo over skiers at Fellhorn on January 15, 2014 in Oberstdorf, Germany. Also called a nimbus or icebow, a sun halo is a natural phenomenon created by refractions from ice crystals suspended in the air. (Thomas Niedermueller / Getty Images)

Palestinians inspect damages of their home after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. Israel's military says it has carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip after militants there launched five rockets toward Israel. A Gaza health official says five Palestinians were lightly wounded in the Israeli air strikes. (Hatem Moussa / AP)

John Ruddy of Norwich City fails to stop the free kick by Kevin Mirallas of Everton during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Norwich City at Goodison Park on January 11, 2014 in Liverpool, England. (Jan Kruger / Getty Images)

Men perform a traditional dance in the icy winter waters of the Tundzha river in the town of Kalofer as part of the Epiphany Day celebrations on January 6, 2014. As a tradition, an Eastern Orthodox priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy trough the year as well as all those who dance in the icy waters. (Nikolay Doychinov/AFP/Getty Images)

Thomas Diethart of Austria soars through the air during his qualification jump on day 1 of the 62nd Four Hills Tournament event at Paul-Auflerleitner-Schanze on January 5, 2014 in Bischofshofen, Austria. (Dennis Grombkowski/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Bangladeshi men stand near a fire on the streets of downtown Dhaka during a cold winter morning on January 4, 2014. About a third of Dhaka's 15 million residents live in poverty. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images)

People enjoy Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 4, 2014. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman carries her daughter in a nearby field as Mount Sinabung spews pyroclastic smoke on January 4, 2014 in Karo District, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The number of displaced persons has increased to 20,000 in Western Indonesia as Mount Sinabung continues to spew ash and smoke after several eruptions since September. Eleven deaths have now been recorded as a result of the eruptions with hundreds more falling ill. Officials expect the number of evacuees to rise as volcanic activity remains high. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)

A man dives off the rocks at Arpoador during a summer heat wave in the city on January 3, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Temperatures climbed to 104 in the city with a heat index measured at 122 degrees. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

A person struggles to cross a street in blowing and falling snow as the Gateway Arch appears in the distance Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, in St. Louis. Snow that began in parts of Missouri Saturday night picked up intensity after dawn Sunday with several inches of snow on the ground by mid-morning and more on the way. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Vanderbilt coach James Franklin is doused by linebacker Chase Garnham (36) after they defeated Houston 41-24 in the BBVA Compass Bowl NCAA college football game on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014, in Birmingham, Ala. (Butch Dill/AP)

A Sikh girl shouts slogans during a religious procession ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh in Jammu, India, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014. The birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, will be marked on Jan. 7 this year. (Channi Anand/AP)

One of the few to have a mosquito net, a displaced family who fled the recent fighting between government and rebel forces in Bor by boat across the White Nile, sit under it after waking up in the morning in the town of Awerial, South Sudan Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The international Red Cross said Wednesday that the road from Bor to the nearby Awerial area "is lined with thousands of people" waiting for boats so they could cross the Nile River and that the gathering of displaced is "is the largest single identified concentration of displaced people in the country so far". (Ben Curtis/AP)

Afghan boys carry firewood in Herat on January 3, 2014. High unemployment and the high cost of living have increased the vulnerability to the weather for large sections of the Afghan population. (Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images)